60 militants killed

Pakistani forces battled the Taliban for control of a strategic northern valley for a fourth day on Friday, killing up to 60 of them, as the government opened talks with an influential cleric to end the violence.

The militants were still in control of parts of Buner valley, just 100 km northwest of Islamabad, though troops had secured the main town of Daggar on Wednesday. The ground troops have established links with the soldiers airlifted to Daggar, but heavy fighting was going on elsewhere in the valley, military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said.